Thorns
by InkPhantom
Summary: Being special doesn't mean much when the world never gives you a chance and sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you'll always be at the bottom. With a mind greater than even Tony Stark's, Rosa has to find a way to take care of her family and prove herself, even though she seems to be just another expendable woman. Life for her never has been, and never will be, simple. BruceXOC
1. Prologue

_Hi there people. I just want to say that I've been really into the Avengers since it came out, and I'm excited about his fiction that I'm writing now. I have another fiction going that I kind of lost interest in, but I'm writing more for that one as we speak. Basically, this is just a short beginning to get my story out there, I'll post a full real chapter tomorrow night. I like the idea that I came up with, I like the character, and I hope the rest of you do as well. Thank you..._

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**Prologue **

There is a gap between those who are successful and those who are not. In the popularity contest of success, the victor rises to the top on a column of wealth and fame while the rest of humanity sits on the transparent side of the two way mirror that separates them. They see all that transpires in the lives of the famous who stay blind to the rest of the world.

Tony Stark was the epitome of this blindness. With his ingenuity came arrogance, and with the power he drew from his suit of iron came a never ending void of vanity. Saving the world from the evils of other worlds only worsened his narcissistic condition and clouded his vision further.

Of course, his genius called for fame, but he received it at the price of his humility. Everyone below him knew and saw that this was his nature, his niche in a world of mediocrity. But acceptance didn't change the fact that he was a rude, pompous egotist who wanted more than any human should be allowed.

The world watched as he created a new persona for himself, created more power for himself. It watched as he built a suit that could kill a man in a split second; that could level a city in two. He held the keys to a weapon of mass destruction and allowed everyone only the luxury of knowing that he used it for selfish, rather than evil, purposes. When the identity of Iron Man first came to the public, Tony Stark used it as an excuse to further his own fame, or infamy to some. His company blossomed in the stock market and fans flocked to have the "hero" sign every scrap of paper they pushed at him. He used the suit to get money and fans and women.

But as time passed, a new side of Iron Man arose; a side of valor and heroics. With his new power he became a surprisingly generous philanthropist, devoting his time to uncovering the secret to clean energy. Of course, as a man of materialistic need, he built a tower in his name to reach higher than all others, to prove that he was the alpha dog in the world. This tower housed the most brilliant mind in the world.

Too bad Tony didn't know it was there.

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Night fell across the Manhattan skyline as the sun finally dipped below the horizon. Stark Tower, the tallest building in the United States, gleamed high above the world, lit by a huge arc reactor at the core of the structure. Like the rest of Midtown, it was slowly being rebuilt from the attack on Earth by alien forces. Construction crews dodged in and out with thousands of tasks to recreate and improve what now was being called the Tower of Hope by the citizens of New York. They named it thusly due to the new addition to the Stark logo, which stood brighter now than it ever did. The "A" was bigger, more elaborate, and shinned intensely enough to illuminate the darkest corners of New York.

The Avengers. Earth's mightiest superheroes that would come together in a time of crisis to save the world, because with every superhero that popped up so did a supervillian, set on destroying the peace that everyone hoped for.

But now they were scattered. With the crisis over, they each went their separate ways to pursue their own private agendas. Captain America decided to get an apartment somewhere in the Lower East Side, near where he lived as a kid. He was a large asset in the reconstruction of the city, as well as a hero who took it upon himself to join the crowd and make personal ties with the people he protected. Thor took Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard, where Loki was subjected to a punishment of some sort. Agents Romanoff and Barton returned to SHIELD to recuperate, before being sent off to another country for a mission involving, thankfully, normal humans. And Bruce Banner, the Incredible Hulk, was right here in Stark Tower.

"JARVIS?" a female voice called out from inside a darkened laboratory, her accent making the robot's name seem more exotic than it was. A small screen in front of her displayed the profiles of all of the Avengers and she studied it with quick moving eyes, soaking up the information as quickly as possible.

"Yes, Ms. Hernandez?" the gentle British voice responded. His voice, which was usually broadcasted throughout the room, came from a small speaker connected to the computer in front of the woman. After countless nights of conversing with the artificial intelligence, she had made it quite clear that she hated the way his omnipresent voice came from the darkest corners of the rooms.

The Hispanic woman leaned forward on her stool to get a closer look at the green monster who ravaged Harlem silently. She could see his mouth opening to roar but the computer was muted to preserve her secret snooping. "Would you consider this man dangerous when he isn't the Hulk?" she asked, eying the picture of a tanned, gentle looking man with brown eyes and black wavy hair. Though she was only assigned to work on Stark Tower at night, as was tradition, the thought of having a time bomb monster in her workplace made her anxious.

"Dr. Banner generally has a calm disposition," JARVIS replied after a moment of consideration. "I find that being in the company of Master Stark eases his nerves." The woman rolled her eyes and snorted in response. JARVIS noted her reaction and responded wearily, "Yes, I had quite the same reaction when I noticed. Master Stark has been known to have the opposite effect."

By now the woman had grown used to JARVIS and his human tendencies, so his sarcastic response wasn't much of a surprise to her. She clicked through Bruce Banner's file once again, reading further into his research than she understood. "JARVIS?" she called again. "Does Tony have books on gamma radiation?" she asked, trying hard to sort through her mind's database to recall any information on the topic before her.

After a few seconds, the AI responded. "Master Stark has six books on gamma radiation in the library. Two, which were in his chambers, were destroyed in the battle last week. One is irrelevant to Dr. Banner's research. The other three have pertinent information." The woman sighed and checked her watch. It was just half past three AM. "Ms. Hernandez, Ms. Potts is on the elevator, ascending to your floor." The woman nodded and brushed her fingers along a few keys, logging out of the information she was looking into and shutting the computer down. She stood up, dusting off her black slacks and putting the stool back where she found it. As she made her way to exit the room, a quiet murmur from JARVIS made her pause. "Don't forget your badge, Ms. Hernandez," he reminded her. She chuckled and pulled out a name tag from her pocket and pinned it to the lapel on her white button up shirt.

The elevator doors at the end of the hall opened just as the woman reached her destination. She grabbed a hold of the cart in front of her and plastered a smile on her face as Pepper Potts emerged from the elevator. Pepper's heels clicked against the cold marble floors as she walked; only nodding at the Hispanic woman as she passed.

She looked at the cart she was pushing with disdain. The cart was full of cleaning supplies, everything she needed to match her job title that shouted from its position on her badge.

"Rosalinda Hernandez – Custodian."


	2. Working

_Hello everyone, I just want to say thanks to a few people before this chapter starts. First **"Hanna pond"** for being the first to review. Thanks, even if it was anonymous. Second, I want to thank my two betas: **Ivory Winter** and **Fish Wishes**. The two of you have been a great help so far. Third is all of you who have favorited or subscribed to this story. Anyways I hope you all enjoy this, I'd love it if you could review. Without further ado, I present chapter one._

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**_Chapter One_**

**_Working_**

Rosa stood in her small apartment in front of a dirty mirror, buttoning up her white blouse for another workday at Stark Tower. With her dark hair wrapped in a tight bun on the top of her head, she grabbed her small brown purse and exited her home.

Because of her financial situation, Rosalind lived on the bad streets of New York, where muggings and drive bys were almost a typical occurrence in her neighborhood. Her apartment was grungy and smelled of mold, with plumbing that never quite worked right. But with a little bit of rigging, Rosa managed to get her lights working correctly and the plumbing to allow as much hot water as she wanted. Of course, it didn't change the fact that her spring bed had holes in it, or that mice darted through the hallways as she passed, eager to find some dropped crumbs by the equally ratty tenants.

After returning home from her afternoon shift at a café in Midtown (which thankfully didn't take too much damage), she quickly changed and set off to Stark Tower on foot, following its glowing sign like the North Star. This was the job she_ really_ needed, and when the attack on Earth happened, she prayed Stark would hire her once again. Despite the fact that it was just a custodial job, Tony paid all of his employees generous amounts of money simply because he had the right to do so. When the tower was built, Rosa was the first janitor to get the job. In fact, Rosa and two other older Hispanic men were the only cleaning crew that Tony hired. To get the job done efficiently they each had a specific job to do. Ricardo took the bathrooms and lounges, Ramon the public areas, and Rosa the private quarters and labs. The system worked out well for all of them, especially Rosa.

When she arrived at Stark Tower, the sun was beginning to fall from its perch in the sky. With a glance at her watch, she flinched, realizing she was two minutes late. Though she drew almost no attention to herself while working, Tony kept extensive records on all arrival and departure times of anyone who walked into the building, so of course her tardiness would be noticed.

As she approached the front desk to retrieve her access keycard (which she had to hand in at the end of the day for security purposes), Rosa was surprised to find Tony Stark leaning lazily over the counter, his chin in his palms and an idle expression on his face. The security man behind the desk looked at her with alarm, his eyes darting to Tony and back.

A surge of ice ran through Rosa's veins. So Mr. Stark was looking for her. Rosa had always made it her priority never to speak with the genius, because truly staying under the radar meant she stayed at the bottom, and he stayed at the top. Their worlds should never have to mingle. Period.

As she approached, Tony looked up with raised eyebrows, glancing at his watch in exasperation. "Hey, Maria," he said, speaking low and quickly the way he always did. "Yeah, just wanted to let you and the crew know that there was a spill on the 3rd floor. Really ugly, bad chemicals, dangerous. So it's being quarantined, er, closed for the night." Rosa bristled when he called her Maria, but she didn't let it show on her impassive face. "Do you understand?" he asked, making himself slow down for a few words. Another shot of anger exploded through her, but she just nodded.

"Yes, Mr. Stark," she replied, her accent now extremely thick. "Bad chemical spill. 3rd floor closed." she repeated, her words choppy and the accents off, as if she couldn't speak proper English. An easy task, because at one point in her life she really couldn't. Tony's eyes looked in her direction, but they didn't actually see her, just stared through her. He nodded and turned to walk away, his business with her over. As Rosa watched him leave, his expressive suit swishing behind him, she sighed.

The man behind the desk spoke up. "Sorry Rosalind, about the name," he said sheepishly, apologizing for Tony's blatant stereotype. Rosa nodded but still felt a pang of anger in her chest. For Christ's sake, he could've taken a moment to glance at her nametag. "Normally I would've passed that information on to you," he continued, "but Ms. Potts has been pressuring him to interact with his employees more. So you can expect more half-baked attempts at communication from the boss."

Rosa nodded and smiled at him. He and Stark had a lot more interaction than anyone else in the building, and that made him the unofficial spokesperson for the lower-class workforce.

"Gracias," she said with a smile, taking the keycard he held out to her. With a wave, she was off, grabbing her cart and heading into the elevator to begin her work.

There were 93 stories in Stark Tower, which all had to be cleaned and ready for the next day in 8 hours. But since the top 15 floors were Tony's private quarters, he had machines (or Ms. Potts) do his cleaning for him. Most of the bottom 15 floors were all conference rooms and public areas, which Ramon handled. About 30 floors were uninhabited; labs or rooms that Tony was slowly filling as he selectively hired scientists and engineers to work alongside him. Before the destruction happened, she could get the rest of the small floors cleaned with an hour or two to spare. But now, with another 20 stories out of commission or being reconstructed, all her work was finished just as Tony Stark and Ms. Potts were going to sleep.

"JARVIS," Rosa called from inside a laboratory after the sun had been set for a few hours, "is everyone asleep?" At this point she had nothing to do but wait until dawn so she could go home.

"No Ms. Hernandez," he responded. "Master Stark and Ms. Potts have retired, but Dr. Banner is still working on the 3rd floor." Rosa raised her eye brows in response. She had skipped over the 3rd floor, which was one large laboratory, because of the chemical spill. Obviously Tony was either mistaken or straight lying to her, which wouldn't be much of a surprise.

"Which chemical spilled?" she asked. After reading through Stark files a week before the attack, she knew every project that was going on in the Tower. There was no chemical in the records that could've spilled to close off the area. JARVIS didn't respond immediately, so Rosa knew something was up. Despite him being just an AI, she thought of him as human. And with that came social queues that let her know if JARVIS was lying. "I know you're about to lie, JARVIS," she said threateningly, "Come on, I thought we had gotten past this." And she thought they had. When she first started working at Stark Tower, he was tentative to speak to her. But since he was just a computer, he didn't treat her like the rest of the people here did. He spoke to her in the same manner he spoke to his master, and for that she was grateful.

"I'm afraid Master Stark fibbed about that," he responded wearily. "The floor was given to Dr. Banner as a work space. He requested to be alone, and Master Stark agreed that was in his best interests." Rosa nodded. Of course a man with a beast inside of him wouldn't want to work around ignorant frustrating people, as so many were these days.

She pushed her cart into the elevator, clicking the 55 button. "I'm going up to the library," she announced to JARVIS, "thank the Lord it wasn't destroyed. Then I would have to converse with you for hours." She chuckled and waited for his sarcastic response, but the AI didn't speak for quite some time.

"I didn't realize I was such a bore, Ms. Hernandez," his automated voice said curtly. She looked up in surprise, shocked by his words. Of course she was only joking, but an immediate feeling of guilt ran through her. JARVIS, despite the circumstances, had become a close friend. Weeks and weeks of being one of the only people awake in the building made her lonely and after a while JARVIS just became a natural part of her night.

"I didn't mean it like that," she said softly. "I was only joking. You know I enjoy speaking with you, JARVIS." He didn't say anything, so she sighed. Before she could speak again the elevator doors opened, leading into a large room that was filled to the brim with books. Towering shelves made up the walls and separated the room into sections. The back wall was just one large window that let the moonlight stream in, illuminating the chairs set out for readers in the back. This was Rosa's haven; her place to escape from the outside world and learn everything she ever wanted to.

"I think I'll do more research on Norse mythology…" Rosa said, slightly to JARVIS but mostly to herself. She walked over to a large collection of bookshelves and began looking through the titles. With the organization system already memorized, finding the book she wanted came easy.

Snatching a large encyclopedia of mythology, Rosa settled into a large chair in the back, quickly losing herself in the words. Loki… Thor… Odin… After reading Thor's file over and over again, she'd become familiar with his legend. It made her curious when his brother happened to be the evil behind the recent attack, and she resorted to books to find out why. Of course, there was no telling what was true and what wasn't, but at least she had a basis of knowledge to go from.

"Ms. Hernandez," JARVIS said sometime later. By now Rosa had finished two books on mythology and was beginning a book on gamma radiation. She concentrated intensely on the book for a long time, her eyes furrowing in concentration as she tried to understand the complexity of the subject. When JARVIS called her she didn't look up, just kind of grunted that she was listening, her mind still soaking up the words on the page. "Dr. Banner is on his way up to find a book… In fact, the book you are currently reading."

Rosa's panicked a bit. She had never been in a situation where she could possibly be caught doing something divergent of the norm (things she did on her usual nights, like reading complex books and combing through restricted files), so she jumped up and grabbed her books, rushing to put them back where she got them. "Dr. Banner is getting on the elevator. Estimated time of arrival is thirty seconds," her automated friend informed. With the two mythology books back in their place, she looked around for where to return the radiation one. Her finger was still wedged in between two pages, hesitant to let go and lose her place. But when she found the spot where the book belonged, she reluctantly did, sliding it into its position. Rosa ran to her cart to retrieve some sort of cleaning materials so it would seem like she was doing her job.

"Your badge, Ms. Hernandez," JARVIS scolded, as he had to almost every night. Rosa hated wearing it. Her nametag was a big sign on her chest that said how invisible she was, how worthless, how unimportant. If the doctor caught her in here without it she would be of some interest, but the second someone knew her position their eyes glazed over and looked right through her.

As she pinned it on and pulled a feather duster out of her cart, the elevator doors swung open to reveal a tall handsome man who wore glasses and a purple button up shirt. She busied herself with dusting off a globe perfunctorily, watching the man out of the corner of her eye. His face matched the one she remembered from the files the night before, but something was different. Though he still looked anxious, the man in front of her looked more at peace. The man she now knew as Bruce Banner looked happier.

As he stepped in, he wrung his hands in front of him, his eyes nervously sweeping the room. When they fell upon her he started a little, but as he noticed what she was doing he calmed down, merely looking through her like everyone else did.

"Hey," he mumbled, but was already beginning to look away. At least he was polite enough to greet her. Rosa nodded at him and he shuffled off, eyes darting anxiously once again.

Rosa sighed and wheeled her cart into the elevator, desperately trying to get away from Bruce Banner, but simultaneously wondering why he was awake so late into the night.

_Please review? :D_


	3. JARVIS

_Hi again. Just a little thank you to everyone who has reviewed and added Thorns to your favorites/alerts. That means so much that you guys like this story. I'm sorry this took so long, I've been having some real life issues that I have to deal with. But I promise I'll update faster. In this chapter you get a little back ground info on Rosa. Umm... I hope you enjoy. :) _

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**Chapter 2**

**JARVIS**

_11 Months Ago_

Rosa stood among throngs of moving people, wringing her hands in front of her nervously. Ever since the grand opening of Stark Tower, its lobby had been filled to the brim with all kinds of people with all kinds of purposes. Rosa dressed to the nines in her finest blouse and pencil skirt, but still felt out of place around the expensive suits that rushed by her. She didn't belong here. She wanted to leave, to escape-

"Excuse me, Rosalind Hernandez?" a firm voice said from behind her, interrupting her thoughts. She turned to face a tall woman with long, strawberry blond hair. She was pretty and wore a kind smile on her face that made Rosa's fear slowly melt away. Rosa nodded in response to her question and smiled in return.

"Good. Well we've examined your application and decided that you would be excellent for the position. Mr. Stark requests that you start immediately, if that's okay with you," the woman Rosa recognized as Pepper Potts said. Rosa smiled widely and took Pepper's outstretched hand, shaking it with vigor.

"Yes, Ms. Potts," she said, laying on the accent thickly, "thank you." In reality, this job was Rosa's only hope at staying in New York. Her café job barely paid enough for the ratty little apartment she lived in. It certainly wasn't enough to send back home to Mexico, where her family was awaiting money that would allow her numerous younger siblings to continue attending school rather than working. She needed the money and this job provided it, plus a little more to save for herself.

Pepper Potts smiled and handed her a small laminated badge that showed her name printed in bold black letters. A thrill of excitement flashed through Rosa as she took it, eager to begin her new job and, hopefully, her new life.

_9 Months Ago _

Rosa stepped into her crude apartment with a smile on her face. She'd just returned from the bank, the cash from her last paycheck resting in the envelope clutched in her hand. With this money she officially had enough to put a down payment on the apartment near Stark Tower that had caught her eye not too long ago. It wasn't fancy or anything of the sort, but it was much better than where she lived now. She could finally have a bedroom that didn't attach to the bathroom _and_ the kitchen.

With a wide grin, Rosa sat on her bed, placing the money gently beside her before opening her stack of mail. A few letters were spam, but one envelope stood out and when she saw the return address, her smile faltered for a moment. In the past few months her family in Mexico had been doing fairly well, and with her help all 5 of her siblings were in school instead of on the streets. Occasionally the eldest, 16 year old Manuel, would call to check up and assure her that they were doing well, but on rare occasions her _Abuelita_, who was caring for the children, would mail her a letter. Almost always it bore bad news.

This time was no different. Enclosed in the envelope was a scrawled note from her grandmother and a few printed sheets of paper from a hospital Rosa recognized to be near where they lived.

_Rosalind, _the letter read in Spanish, _I'm sorry to have to ask more of you, but I don't have anywhere else to turn. Your sister Ana broke her arm at school last week and she had to be taken to the hospital. Of course, since we don't have insurance, I will have to pay for everything up front. But I'm afraid I just don't have the money for that. I know it's hard for you, but I was hoping you could help us out. I do not want to ask Manuel to get a job, he is doing so well in school, almost as well as you did. I'm so proud of you, Rosalind. And I'm sure your parents would be proud too. I'm sorry you have to live with this burden, but know that your brothers and sisters can have a better life because of you. Thank you, Mija, I love you._

Rosa felt a prickling sensation behind her eyes as she looked at the letter in despair. For a moment she considered tearing it up and throwing it in the trash, acting as though she had never received it. She could take the money she earned and get the new apartment she wanted and live her own life. But with a sigh, she picked up the money from the bank and counted out enough to cover the amount the hospital asked for in the papers her grandmother sent. Rosa felt the prickling sensation become more defined and a few seconds later tears dropped onto the strips on green temptation in her hands. Even her tiny dream of living somewhere decent was ripped away from her, and even though she knew it was her duty to care for her family, she couldn't help the bitter flash of resentment that slithered through her.

_8 months ago_

Rosa hummed to herself as she cleaned one of Tony's workshops, her cheap MP3 player blasting swing music into her ears. Today was tough on her, but the trilling trumpets and glissing trombones always put her in a better mood. It was well into the night and this was the last room she had to clean before retiring to the library, where she spent most of the hours before dawn. With a touch of jazz in her step she danced around the room, her cloth wiping down all the surfaces she passed.

Her hip shot out just as a piccolo trumpet hit the high note in his solo and bumped into a nearby table, scattering dozens of papers onto the freshly swept floors. Rosa just chuckled and bent to pick them up, her fingers still tapping away on her legs. With a patient smile, her hands grabbed and stacked the mess in her arms.

As the song that was playing finished in a screaming fanfare, Rosa noticed what was printed on the papers in her arms, and her eye brows furrowed in confusion. With narrowed eyes, she inspected each one, reading the notes on the sides of the large diagrams. After a few moments, Rosa's eyes widened and her mouth opened in shock. The papers in her hands were an outline for a weapon, a bow by the looks of it. According to the notes, it would be powered by a small arc reactor, similar to the one burning in the basement and, on a smaller scale, in Iron Man's chest. To accompany the bow was a quiver that automatically equipped the user with any type of arrow they wanted, including but not limited to grapple tips and explosive tips. In the corner of some of the designs was a small insignia that she faintly recognized from other files around Stark Tower. In an instant she remembered. SHIELD…

Rosa hardly noticed that there was music still playing in her ears, but when it cut out the silence was deafening. A mechanical voice replaced the silence in the next second, and Rosa almost shouted in surprise.

"Excuse me, Ms. Hernandez," the accented voice said through her headphones, "those documents are for Master Stark's eyes only. If you would be so kind as to return them to where they belong, I will take no action to report you." And just like that, Rosa's music resumed.

She stood up quickly and looked around with wide eyes. The music was suddenly too loud in her ears, so she threw out her earbuds. With a quick glance she realized no one else was in the room with her, making her mind race, trying to place the bot-like voice.

"Who are you?" she said a little too loudly in the unoccupied room. In her fright, she forgot to add the thick accent to her words.

The response came from somewhere above her this time. "I am JARVIS, Master Stark's personal service artificial intelligence." Rosa blinked as she took the information in. A robot personal assistant… It was a cool idea. But as much as she was impressed, she was curious.

"Pleasure to meet you, JARVIS," Rosa said, feeling a bit silly talking the ceiling. "My name is Rosalind."

There was a few seconds of silence before the AI spoke again. "I am aware," he said, sounding tentative. That was surprising, considering he was a computer program. Rosa didn't know programs could be hesitant.

"Have you been watching me this whole time?" Rosa questioned, kneeling to collect the rest of the papers scattered on the floor. She tried to read any other information quickly before she put the neat stack back on the table where she dropped them from. Tony was building a high tech bow for SHIELD, a company that had its logo on a lot of Stark Industries' work. Bow and arrows were a bit primal for this day and age, so her curiosity tipped the scale at this point.

"I am present at all times in the entirety of Stark Tower," JARVIS responded. Rosa noticed he didn't really answer her question, but she was satisfied either way. He _was _watching her, because he watched everything. That meant he knew of her recreational time in the library, as well as her tendency to dance while she cleaned. Even though she knew he was just a program, a bit of embarrassment flashed through her.

"What is SHIELD?" Rosa asked. At this point she'd forgotten all about disguising her voice and ducking her head. After all, JARVIS had seen the thick books she read in the middle of the night, the way she sometimes talked to herself. Hiding was irrelevant at this point.

"I'm afraid that is classified information," JARVIS said almost immediately. Rosa's mouth dipped into a scowl. By now she was yearning to know about the secrets Stark Industry was keeping, and why it was making weapons for a company that was "classified". After Tony Stark announced that he would stop making weapons, Rosa's opinion of him greatly improved. But now… Well she wanted to know if he was continuing to make destructive things for destructive people.

"Of course," Rosa said, backing off. JARVIS was a personal assistant of Tony Stark himself and wouldn't hesitate to turn her in if she pushed the subject. Instead, she redirected. If she couldn't get more information on the weapon, then maybe she could figure out the technology behind the artificial intelligence that was having a human-like conversation with her. "What is it like working for Tony Stark?" she asked curiously.

His answer surprised her. "It's like working for a child." She looked up with wide eyes, trying to understand his sarcasm. She didn't know he _could _be sarcastic. "A very smart child," he amended quickly. Rosa grinned in interest, sitting on a nearby chair and continuing to question JARVIS. Sometimes, when his answers would hold a hint of emotion, Rosa would become excited once again. Of course, when she mentioned what she saw in the diagrams or SHIELD, he immediately reverted to his monotonous "That is classified, Miss." But in the end, she was fascinated by JARVIS, coming to terms with the fact that the "artificial" part of his title didn't really do him justice.

_5 months ago_

"JARVIS?" Rosa asked one night as she settled into the cushions of her favorite chair in the library. "What is SHIELD?" At this point, she and the bot had developed an odd sort of relationship. At first she was the one who did all the questioning, learning things about JARVIS that he probably didn't know about himself. But recently he had taken a curiosity towards her life as well, which amazed Rosa. In a sense, they had become friends.

Without hesitation, he responded, "The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." Rosa grinned, but before she could say anything, JARVIS let out what she could only identify as an electronic sounding huff. "That was classified information, Ms. Hernandez," he said accusingly.

Rosa just shrugged her shoulders and grinned. It was almost humorous how human he seemed. He'd become so comfortable with her that he just answered her questions without a second thought.

"Don't worry," she said reassuringly, opening a book on engineering. "I won't tell anyone. Besides, you know you can trust me." Her words startled even herself, but somewhere in her heart she knew they were true. Whatever JARVIS wished to disclose to her, she would keep secret, because he was her friend. Though she didn't know if trust was a virtue that he could possess, she still would keep to her word.

_4 months ago_

After weeks of research, Rosa finally knew more than enough to start her mission. With adrenaline pumping through her veins, Rosa sat at a computer in one of the labs and turned it on. After a few seconds it booted and she began, recalling countless texts on how to hack into a computer mainframe. Within a minute she had sorted through the binary codes and words that used to make no sense to her and made it into Tony Stark's private files, eager to read what she could before-

The computer screen went black in an instant and Rosa sat back with a sigh, clicking the small stopwatch in her hand. "Nearly four minutes," Rosa said aloud, standing up and rolling her stiff neck. She raised her eye brows as she collected her things and made her way to the library.

"Why did you do that?" JARVIS asked, frustration in his tone. Of all the things she expected him to say, that wasn't on the list.

"I wanted to know how long it would take you to find a hacker in the system. So I did some research and broke in," Rosa responded as she stepped into the elevator. The whole ordeal was exciting to her and with the new knowledge she possessed… well she could definitely break into anything if she could break into Stark Tower.

"You can't just break in to Master Stark's mainframe, he set up a very extensive firewall, not to mention countless-"

"Well I did it, didn't I?" Rosa interrupted impatiently. "It took you four minutes before you realized someone was breaking in. Obviously you need to step up your game." By now she was reaching for another book on computer programming to read. God, she loved this huge library more than anything.

"So you broke in to prove a point?" JARVIS asked with suspicion coloring his voice. There was doubt there, and Rosa recalled wondering in the past if he could trust.

"Yes," she answered as she opened the book and found the introduction. "Look, I'm pretty curious too. Remember when I found those sketches for that high-tech bow and arrow?" Of course he did. "Well I caught a glimpse of it just now in the computer. You know me. You know I'm not some kind of spy. I was just… curious." Rosa stared at the book and waited for his response, but when none came she sighed and began reading.

After about an hour JARVIS startled her by speaking. "Master Stark isn't going back into the weapons industry like you suspect," he began. Rosa looked up with wide eyes, keeping silent to urge him to continue. "The bow was a request from SHIELD for one of their agents," he stated.

Rosa just raised one eyebrow in skepticism. "Well I assumed that much," she replied. "But what is SHIELD? And who uses a _bow _anymore?"

"SHIELD is a secret military organization dedicated to dealing with anything," he paused for a moment, "extraordinary." Rosa cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Master Stark was contacted when he developed the Iron Man suit and has been under SHIELD surveillance since then. They've recently discovered and taken in a Captain Steven Rogers or, as most people know him, Captain America."

Rosa's eyes grew wide in astonishment. Despite being born and raised in Mexico, Rosa certainly knew of the patriotic superhero. Of course, she had thought it was just an American way to get attention via comic books and marketing, but at the knowledge of the hero being _real… _Well that was mind blowing. "Can I see?" she asked, closing the book in front of her. "I'd really like to know more. Maybe I could just read a little bit of classified information, just a tiny, tiny bit," she pleaded. "Come on JARVIS, you can trust me." There she went again, throwing around the word trust. If he were human, he would recognize the sincerity on her face. But did that mean anything to a program that was made to follow Tony Stark's orders?

"Fine," JARVIS sighed, "but don't tell anyone." Rosa just chuckled. She had no friends except for JARVIS. No one even knew that she could speak proper English. Ironically, she had no one to tell even if she wanted to.

_One month ago_

"You need to leave the city," JARVIS announced one night out of the blue. Rosa was immersed in the story of Natasha Romanoff, codename the Black Widow, when the AI's panicked voice spoke to her. Ever since Tony Stark had been absent from Stark Tower to work with SHIELD, Rosa had once again immersed herself in his private files. She learned of an incident in New Mexico that involved, though she almost refused to believe it, Norse gods. With a little more digging than even JARVIS approved of, she'd found files labeled the "Avengers Initiative".

"Why?" Rosa questioned offhandedly, letting out a small whistle as she watched Agent Romanoff knock a grown man into next week with one kick from her slender legs. Suddenly the computer went black. "Hey!" she shouted in frustration.

"There is a situation," JARVIS said. "You must get out of New York city immediately." Rosa had never heard him sound so flustered. Before she could ask why again, he explained. "There is an intruder in Stark Tower. I have determined he is one of the men SHIELD is looking for. I have not heard from Master Stark in sometime, so I recommend you leave."

Though there were more questions to be asked, Rosa left like he requested. She went home to grab a few things and then left New York City, staying in a motel in New Jersey for a few days. Of course soon after she settled in, the attack on Earth played out. She watched on the news as the "extraordinary" people SHIELD sent in fought off the aliens and closed the large blue hole in the sky. And when it was all over, she whispered a silent "thank you" to JARVIS for keeping her safe.

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_Please review with any comments you have. Thank you so much for reading._


	4. Dead

**_Wow. Everyone is just SO amazing. Over 15 reviews? Over 30 alerts? That's so amazing. Let's see if we can't that review count up to match! I could really use some constrictive criticism as well. Wow. Again, I want to thank my beta readers. I also want to say that this chapter starts the ball rolling on the plot and definitely takes a darker tone. I hope you all like it._**

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**Chapter 3**

**Dead**

_Present Day_

The next night at Stark Tower was uneventful. Rosa finished her work eagerly to settle into her chair with a new book. She was trying to read instead of studying, so she brought a well-used copy of _The Fellowship of the Ring _from home. She didn't chat with JARVIS much, except to comment on how gorgeous Legolas was in the Lord of the Rings film. She chuckled when he told her about Tony Stark making a reference to the character when interacting with the bowman Rosa now knew as Agent Clint Barton during the battle for Earth.

It had been two weeks since the city of New York was nearly blow pieces and even though Rosa never believed in superheroes, she felt safe knowing there were people out there who cared enough to protect the ordinary, expendable people like herself. Though she still thought Tony was an arrogant ass, he and the Avengers had pulled through when hope seemed lost. When it came down to it, he was willing to sacrifice himself to save innocent lives, and for that she grudgingly respected him.

Of course, it didn't change the fact that he stereotypically called her "Maria" when she clearly had a name.

Just as the sun was beginning to rise, Rosa closed her book with a contented sigh. "JARVIS," she called out, feeling curious about his prolonged silence. Even though Rosa hated to be interrupted while reading, JARVIS would randomly ask her questions or comment throughout the night, talking about anything from her family to his curiosity at Pepper and Tony's latest argument. Sometimes she suspected he did it to annoy her, but it was impossible to tell with the AI. But oddly, after making the comment about Clint Barton, he stayed peacefully silent the rest of the night.

"Hey JARVIS?" Rosa called again when she received no response. Just as before, only silence filled the empty library. A heavy feeling weighed in her gut that she adamantly tried to ignore. Maybe JARVIS was out with Tony or angry at her for some reason. Still, she grabbed her cart and made her way down to the lobby. If Iron Man was out on the town, the security man at the front desk would know.

After the short elevator ride and a few more unanswered calls to her friend, the uneasy feeling swelled again in Rosa. With a light _ding_, she arrived in the lobby.

It was eerily quiet. Moonlight shone through the large glass windows that made up most of the walls, and outside the New York nightlife continued on like it always did. But for some reason, Rosa still felt off. Maybe it was just paranoia, but she felt like she could suffocate in the smothering air.

With one glance at the security desk, Rosa was put on red alert. She knew for a fact that there was no reason for the desk to be empty, but there was no one watching the screens like usual. Pushing her cart against a nearby wall, she made her way over to the unmanned desk to check the screens for anything unusual, but the closer she got the more she wanted to turn away. Instinct screamed at her, but she continued forward until she could see behind the desk.

In an instant, bile rose in Rosa's throat. In the past she'd never had an aversion to blood, but the gruesome sight before her made her knees weak. The night security guard was sprawled out on the marble floor in a puddle of his crimson blood, a jagged line across his throat marring his pale skin. His face was frozen in a look of terror and his wide eyes were frozen, staring at a horror she couldn't begin to imagine. For a moment she stood in shock, frightened more than she'd ever been in her life. Part of her wanted to run out of the doors into the safety of the public, but Rosa knew that would be the wrong thing to do. There was an intruder inside of Stark Tower who had already killed one employee without setting off any alarms. It was her responsibility to do something.

"JARVIS!" she shouted, her too high voice startlingly loud. "I don't know what's going on, but you need to answer me _now_. Someone is _dead_."

When the only response she received was the echo of her panicked words, Rosa turned to the monitors and scanned through each of the screens on display. There were buttons that could cycle through each floor, but the screens were currently frozen on multiple different angles of the 3rd floor, where Dr. Banner was working. Rosa saw that he was still inside his lab, sitting and hunched over a lab table with his head lying on his arms. After watching him breathing rhythmically, Rosa realized he was asleep.

Rosa's eyes darted over the desk in fear and she searched for some type of alarm. Under the desk was a small button that, she assumed, was the silent alarm that called the police. She pressed it a few times and waited, before flipping out her cell phone and dialing 9-1-1.

"Yes, someone's been killed. His… throat has been slit. Yes, Stark Tower. Thank you." The emergency operator had told her not to make a move so she sat on the floor as far away from the body as she could, but still close enough to watch the screens and keep an eye on the dozing doctor. Rosa couldn't feel the terror anymore, just numbness as a chill swept through her body. She realized slowly that she was probably in shock.

As the minutes passed, Rosa began to feel like herself again. She called out for JARVIS a few more times in desperation, still hoping for some type of answer. None ever came. As cars passed outside, their headlights threw shadows into the room that made adrenaline pump through her veins in fear. A killer was still in Stark Tower and the police were taking their time with arriving. As the seconds ticked on painfully slow, Rosa began to hyperventilate.

That is, until she saw movement on the screen that made her breath catch in her throat.

There was a man moving in the hallway on the 3rd floor, walking casually to the door that led into the laboratory. Though she could only see his back from the angle of the camera, she quickly noted his nondescript black suit that was typical of the government officials that came and went in the normal routine of Stark Industries. Rosa stared at the next screen, waiting for the man's face to come into the line of sight of the next camera. Maybe she could be of some use and identify him to the police.

He sauntered forward, placing a hand on the sliding door into the lab. Rosa's heart picked up into overdrive as he pushed it open. The doctor was still sleeping soundly on a table just a few paces from the door and even though she knew he was practically invincible, Rosa willed him to awake and run away from the man with murderous intent.

But he didn't move. Rosa watched as the unknown killer stepped into the camera's view, his face now on display for her to see.

Her blood froze. Though she'd only seen a few pictures of the man that now stood in Stark Tower with blood on his hands, she could easily place a name to his face. It was a name that made even JARVIS's monotone voice soften in respect and compassion.

Without completely thinking it through, Rosa found herself on the elevator ascending a few floors, toilet plunger in hand, positioned to club anyone she found as a threat. In a matter of seconds she was in the 3rd floor hallway, stepping out of the elevator and calling out to the man in the black suit.

"Stop!" she said feebly, trying to mask the fear in her voice. Something wasn't right. The man in front of her _couldn't_ be who she thought he was. But as he turned, she was caught off guard by the smirk he wore on his familiar face.

"Well, what do we have here?" he asked in a voice that didn't quite match his body. It was high and velvety, with an accent she couldn't place. Her instincts screamed for her to run, but instead she raised the plunger over her head in a threatening manner.

"You're supposed to be dead," Rosa said with conviction. According to the countless hours she spent combing through Tony Stark's files, the man in front of her shouldn't exist anymore.

JARVIS had told her about him. He told her how even Tony Stark regarded him as a hero, as a martyr who died believing that the Avengers could be heroes too. He told her that his Master still mourned for his loss, that everyone did. But apparently, Phil Coulson wasn't lost at all. He was right here, in Stark Tower.

The more than alive Phil Coulson smirked evilly, a looked that seemed foreign on his face. "Now how would someone like _you_ know something like _that_?" he asked in a snake-like voice that sent shivers down her spine. Everything about his was so _wrong_, not even considering the fact that he was a dead man walking.

She stepped forward, waving the end of the plunger in a half heartened threat. "Did you kill that man downstairs?" she asked loudly. Of course, she knew the answer. But she figured her best chance at surviving was waking up Bruce Banner in the next room so that maybe he could come to her rescue.

But Agent Coulson just rolled his eyes, sliding the door back closed. He brought a finger to his lips in a motion to quiet her. "I wouldn't recommend waking the doctor," he said softly. "He might get angry and make a mess."

And then he was advancing. Rosa stumbled back as he approached quickly, raising the plunger above her head to swing. With as much power as she could muster, Rosa brought the makeshift weapon down on her enemy's head. But instead of hitting her target, she swung into empty air. Coulson, who had dodged the blow without any effort was suddenly right in front of her, staring down at her trembling form with his head cocked to the side. A wave of fear rolled over Rosa as she realized this may be the last few breaths she took. She looked up, meeting her killer's eyes. Without thinking, she threw her fist out, wincing as it connected with Coulson's jaw. Though his head snapped to the side, he didn't register any pain, just smirked once more.

He reached out and grabbed the side of her head, his cold fingers tangling themselves in her brown hair. Before she could shout, Rosa felt herself being smashed against the wall with more force than she thought imaginable. With a burst of white hot pain and a whimper, Rosa collapsed, letting the darkness envelop her.

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The first indication of Rosa's consciousness was the stars that flashed against the darkness, dancing around in an assortment of colors. The next was a sharp pain behind her ear that, once it came to her attention, throbbed achingly with the rhythm of her pulse. She was lying down on something hard and cold, and for a moment she forgot where she was. But in an instant the memory of getting her skull nearly smashed in rushed back, and the pounding in her head intensified tenfold. With a great deal of effort Rosa tried to move her arm to her head, letting out an involuntary groan in the process.

"Hey, hey," a voice said from somewhere beside her. The male voice sounded oddly familiar, like she had heard it in a dream, but her mind was clouded and when she tried to recall the memory a wave of dizziness caught her off guard. For a moment, Rosa panicked. Never in her life did she have a problem remembering something. Every book that she read, every face that she saw, every word that she ever heard was imprinted in her mind and she could summon up the information with barely a thought. But now she couldn't even remember a voice against the pain.

"Can you open your eyes for me?" asked the same tantalizingly familiar voice. Rosa didn't want to. Honestly, she wanted to drift back into the darkness that creeped up on her even now, but a warm hand on her arm refused to let her fall into unconsciousness. "Come on," the voice urged.

Rosa opened her brown eyes to meet another pair, warmer in color and emotion. Recognition began to dawn on her, but a blinding light flashed before each of her eyes, inciting another painful groan. The chocolate eyes in front of her pulled back to reveal Bruce Banner's face as it inspected her own.

"How do you feel?" he asked, concern lacing his words. Rosa shook her head and tried to sit up. She felt his hand on her back, but didn't comment. She was overcome by dizziness and nausea, even as she pressed a hand to her eyes.

"I'm dizzy," she said faintly, trying to control her breathing. Though it hurt to think, Rosa assumed she had a severe concussion. When she opened her eyes fully, Rosa groaned again. She was sitting on a metal lab table on the 3rd floor, Dr. Banner's isolated place of work. He was sitting in a rolling chair next to her, a penlight in hand and a stethoscope around his neck. Rosa hazily recalled that he was a medical doctor in Calcutta before the alien invasion.

Dr. Banner nodded and stood, bringing his hands up to her head to touch her. Rosa instinctively flinched backward, another flare of pain shooting through her. The doctor just smiled. "I just need to check for tender areas," he said softly, holding his hands out in surrender. Rosa nodded and tried to relax, but her entire body was tense. Frustration grew like a weed inside of her as she tried to sort through the mess of thoughts in her mind. Never in her life did Rosa have trouble with the simple action of _thinking._ What happened to Phil Coulson, or JARVIS, or even her? If Dr. Banner was alive, that meant he either wasn't the target or they somehow managed to subdue the SHIELD agent.

"What happened?" she asked as calmly as possible. Through the window she could see the metronomic rotation of blue and red lights that police cars threw. "Where's JARVIS?" she asked before he could answer, wanting to know where her friend was.

Dr. Banner opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a voice from the intercom above them. "I am here, Ms. Hernandez," said a gloriously welcoming voice. Rosa felt a wave of relief flow through her, followed quickly by anger.

"Where_ were_ you?" she questioned accusingly, glaring at the ceiling. "I called for you and you never answered." Her voice broke a bit and suddenly she just felt tired. The whole situation had felt unreal to her until this moment. Rosa had never been that frightened in her entire life and though she knew JARVIS was still only a program, she felt more than betrayed when he didn't come to her rescue.

"He was offline," said a cold voice from behind her. Both Rosa and Bruce's head snapped up to regard the newcomer. Tony Stark stood in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, barely managing to hide the ethereal blue glow of his arc reactor. He looked at her with contempt as he stepped into the room, leaning his back against a nearby table. No one spoke for a moment or two as different emotions played across each person's face. Rosa was weary, tired and scared. Bruce looked anxious and confused. Tony looked downright murderous.

Rosa was the first to speak. "It was Phil Coulson," she blurted, unable to restrain herself. Questions were gnawing at her, pushing her to find out what was happening to bring the dead back to life. Rosa saw Bruce look away in sorrow at her words. Before she was aware of Tony's emotions, his footsteps approached her quickly. Her head shot up to look at her employer, whose hand was raised in the air as if to strike her. She never thought Tony was a violent person, but there was so much anger and pain laced into his brown eyes.

Rosa pressed her eyes shut and awaited the inevitable blow.

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**_PLEEEEASE review. Please?_**


	5. Nameless

_AN: So hi everyone. I'm back. For sure this time. I'm so sorry for falling off of a cliff, but I was going through a lot in my life and writing was pushed to the back burner. I've been realizing my identity recently and I realized, at the rate I'm going, quitting will become a character trait I'll live with forever. I'm not going to let that happen. So this is one thing I'm picking back up because I care and all you readers deserve better than that. Woah. Deep. Okay. Moving on. I hope you guys like this chapter. Not much action, but it was needed. Also, I want to thank my new beta reader **When In Doubt Smile**. She's great. Amazing. Awesome. Lovely. Okay, enough. Read and enjoy._

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**Chapter 4**

**Nameless**

The sting of a hand across her face never came. But Rosa, in her state of hyperawareness, felt a tug at the front of her blouse.

She opened her eyes slowly, looking up at Tony Stark who averted his eyes from her face to the small plastic rectangle in his hand. He glanced back at her and she could see the apology in his eyes, the shock at his actions, and the weariness at the whole situation.

Rosa was sure her eyes reflected the same pain.

"Who are you?" Bruce Banner's voice asked from her left. Rosa looked over at him, taking in the way he wrung his hands and crinkled his eyes in nervous habit.

"I am Rosa Hernandez. Janitor," she said, putting her thick accent in place in a last ditch effort to hide.

"You can drop the act," Tony snapped, flinging her badge onto a nearby table. Though she hated to admit it, the farther the tag was from her, the freer she felt, like the doors to her self-imprisoning cage were slowly being opened. "According to JARVIS, you really are just a janitor. But that doesn't mean you're stupid. So just… drop it."

His glare made ice run though her veins and she felt like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Rosa dropped her head and let her dark brown hair fall in front of her face. This was all too much. Her job was lost and with that the source of income that kept her family happy and Rosa off the streets. She saw a killer's face, hacked into Iron Man's private computers, and pretended to be someone she wasn't with no excuse for any of it. Best case scenario, she would end up in jail. How would she deal with this? How could she deal with this? Her head spun and her stomach churned, but from panic or the concussion she couldn't tell.

She heard movement and suddenly there was a warm hand gripping her arm, shaking her shoulders a bit. Something soft pressed into her face and Rosa felt a warm tingling sensation on her scalp.

"You're bleeding again," Bruce said in the gentlest voice. She looked up to watch him standing over her, pressing gently on her head with a white towel, soaking it red.

Without warning, tears began to stream from her eyes and a little sob escaped. The night crashed down around her and she couldn't hold back the waterworks no matter how much she wanted to. Dr. Banner's hand rubbed her back as her head fell into her hands. Rosa could hear him making comforting sounds, but that just made the tears fall faster. Everything she worked for, everything she had, was gone. Despite the fact that she was alone, poor, and too smart for her own good, Rosa was content with her life. And now it was gone.

"Tony..." Rosa heard Bruce mumble between sobs. She was being such a burden, weeping in front of two men she barely knew, but she just couldn't stop crying. Ragged breathing filled the tense air as she tried her hardest to put a cap on the torrent of tears that fell from her brown eyes.

Stark clicked his tongue and Bruce sighed. "She's coming out of shock, Tony," he said, scolding his friend quietly under her heavy sobs. She found a dead body. Her life is coming apart at the seams. Show some sympathy."

No one said anything for a moment. Rosa's heavy breathing began to make her dizzy. "You can keep your job," Tony mumbled awkwardly, cutting her off. Rosa's last sob caught in her throat as her head shot up. She gaped at him for a long moment before struggling to wipe her eyes in embarrassment. After a few steadying breaths she was able to speak.

"Why?" she breathed in a shaking voice.

Tony Stark sighed and rolled his eyes, obviously uncomfortable with the situation and her tears. "JARVIS told me about your situation," he said quickly. "He also told me you're smarter than you look. Besides that, whoever did this knows your face. I've watched the security footage. I have a feeling, with the information they think you possess, they'll try to come after you again."

Rosa felt the blood rush from her face. She didn't expect to get caught up in this. Even if her life was over, she could still walk away safely. She could move away and move on. But if someone was _after_ her...

"Hey," Bruce urged, kneeling down beside her like a child. "He might not even care about you. We're just trying to be safe. Right, Tony?" Banner's voice drew up in pitch as he conspicuously prompted Stark to agree with him, continuing to treat her like a mishandled kid. Tony didn't say anything at first and then for a second looked like he'd argue with Bruce. But with a weary glance at Rosa he grumbling out what she assumed was an affirmation.

Rosa always thought she had a level head. With quick reflexes from her time in Mexico and her ability to consume and understand knowledge so quickly, she could easily assess a situation and find the best way to deal with it, quickly enough that panic never even had to set in. Now that the initial wave of shock over her ordeal was beginning to fade completely from her system, Rosa's mind began to work in overtime to simply understand what _exactly _happened to her.

"I have questions," she said hesitantly, testing if it was finally her time to speak up. Both the men in front of her turned to acknowledge her words, their attention completely on her. She quickly organized her thoughts and began with the simplest of inquiries. What happened to her robotic friend to prevent him from coming to the rescue?

Tony sighed and averted her eyes to his question in what seemed like shame.

"He was offline," Rosa faintly heard him grumble. "Hacked," he spat.

Hacked. The idea floated around in her mind for a while, not quite able to sink in. JARVIS lead her believe that he was the impenetrable fortress of Stark's intellect. The thought that he could be pushed aside for anyone to waltz into to the Tower terrified her. What if the intruder had set Banner off? What if the psudo-Phil Coulson got ahold of the Iron Man suit of destruction? The results could be near catatonic.

It was then, watching Tony pace angrily with fear of what could have been in her eyes, that she realized his anger wasn't directed toward her at all. His haven had been broken into twice since its inception, leaving nothing but death in its wake. And Tony Stark, the egotistical hero, couldn't bear to believe that he had let it all happen.

Rosa looked up at Bruce Banner, watching his eyes follow Tony's fitful pacing, reading the same worried analysis in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, still watching Dr. Banner lean precariously on a nearby counter. He pulled his gaze away from Tony to look at her in surprise, but she was already turning to her employer, another apology falling from her lips.

Mr. Stark's glare turned toward her. She hesitated for a moment, his deep set scowl making her anxious.

"I'm sorry," she murmured finally, "for everything that has happened. I can't understand what it would feel like to be so… pervaded."

Rosa looked at the celling with misty eyes. "JARVIS was my friend. I can't even imagine what he was to you, his creator. The thought of him being hurt, or hacked as it is, really disturbs me."

There was just too much pain for one night. For everyone. "Not to mention the poor soul who died tonight. I hope you find out who did this and catch them before someone else gets hurt."

Her little speech made a fresh batch of tears prick at the corner of her eyes, but she ushered them away with a flick of her fingers. The time for crying had passed. Now she needed to focus on the future.

Rosa watched two geniuses regard her with opposite reactions, though not the ones she had expected. Tony Stark's disgruntled features had softened into a look of weary thoughtfulness while Bruce Banner's gentle eyes narrowed in a suspicious gaze. He shared a meaningful look with Tony before turning his inquisitive stare upon her.

"You saw who broke in and killed that man." he stated plainly. "We know who did this." There was something off about his voice, like he was both trying to convince and question her simultaneously. Tony seemed to notice his tone, a look of realization crossing his face.

She looked between the two of them who now stared at her accusingly. Banner brought his hand up to rub his chin and Rosa was momentarily distracted by the smallest spot of tried blood on his jawline, probably a knick from shaving the stubble that was already beginning to shadow his face.

"You know better than I do that Phil Coulson is dead," she said softly, with good reason. A momentary echo of pain flashed in both of their eyes. "After everything that happened with the Chitauri, after what I've come to learn of the secrets of SHIELD, I'm no stranger to believing in the extraordinary." She placed her words carefully. "But there are still rules to the universe, and I don't think it's a coincidence that they appear to be breaking now, with a person dear to you all." She paused, measured her confidence, and finished. "Someone is messing with you, badly. Phil Coulson is dead. And the dead don't come back."

Bruce watched her for a few more seconds before nodding at Tony who looked at her with grudging acceptance. In an instant Rosa realized that was a test and she had passed. What they were testing her for, she still didn't quite know.

Mr. Stark picked up a small glass slide from the table beside him, which lit up in his large hands. After a few moments of tapping soundlessly, he sighed. With an eye roll and pursed lips, he held out the tablet to Bruce and crossed his arms. Another few seconds passed as Banner examined it and Rosa felt herself growing impatient. Finally, Bruce spoke.

"Preliminary reports of the break in show that every finger print left by the intruder belonged to Agent Coulson. Everything in this lab has been accounted for, but there is no security footage for the time he was in this room. He got in and out in less than 20 minutes and slipped out about thirty seconds before the first patrol car showed up. There's a video file here." He looked at Tony questioningly, whose eyes were staring into the distance in deep thought. A curt not encouraged him to proceed.

Bruce pressed the tablet and held it away from him, so everyone could see. Rosa leaned in and craned her neck to get a closer look, almost touching Banner's shoulder in the process.

The screen showed an image of front desk, manned by the nameless dead man who watched each of the screens in front of him attentively. He sipped a mug of coffee but never took his eyes off of the screen for a moment. He was doing his job perfectly. But suddenly his head jerked up and his eyes looked at an approaching figure that had yet to come into frame.

Rosa felt a sinking feeling in her gut but kept her eyes trained on the small screen, unable to look away. She watched as Phil Coulson sauntered into the camera's view, walking in a strangely feline way that made alarms go off in Rosa's head. She watched as the deskman stood hurriedly, hand on his hip where she knew his gun was holstered, mouth moving as he shouted silently. She watched as Coulson reached into his suit and drew a thin blade and, too quickly for the camera to track, attacked the guard. She watched as his face contorted in fear and shock as blood spilled from the clean wound across his neck.

Her hands trembled and when the man's body hit the floor, a tiny whimper escaped her tightly shut lips, breaking the silence that pervaded the room since the video began. Dr. Banner blinked once, and hastened to pull the screen away from her, but Stark grabbed his arm.

"Keep watching," he commanded.

Rosa kept her eyes glued to the screen, even as her throat constricted and her stomach churned. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, as if sensing their impatience, Phil Coulson tilted his face toward the camera. An evil, Cheshire grin played across him lips are he stared straight up at them.

His eyes, Rosa realized, were the deepest shade of crimson. In the same instance she noticed, they changed back to human whites and he sauntered off toward the elevator.

Tony sighed and leaned away, running a hand through his brown hair, eyes going distant as the gears in his head began to turn. Rosa tried to think of what the red eyes meant, but all she could see was the scarlet mess on the marble floors of the safest place she knew.

"What was his name?" Rosa whispered, once again breaking the silence. Tony didn't turn toward her at all, just began his pacing again. Banner, who had started tapping away at the screen again, lifted his head slowly, looking expectantly at his friend.

When Stark didn't answer, Rosa jumped off of the table she sat on and took a step towards him. He rolled his eyes and turned away, but she was quick, grabbing his arm and spinning him around. His face was a mask of agitation and surprise. "What. Was. His. Name." she demanded through clenched teach, each word curt and forceful.

Tony looked down on her for a moment with panic in his eyes. But soon the look was gone and his air of nonchalance returned. "I don't know," he said quickly, dismissively, before pulling away from her.

Rosa felt ice run through her veins and before she could retrain herself, tears fell from her eyes. That man, that poor man who had worked under Tony Stark, died under Tony Stark, didn't even have the luxury of a name. He was, like she is, just another piece of middle class, expendable, trash.

"You are garbage," Rosa spat coldly and Tony's turned back. She saw his shoulders tense. Good, he was listening. "That man died for you, protecting you. And I don't care if you're Iron Man and you don't need protecting, or that he wasn't your responsibility, or what you can or can't do with all that money of yours. All he knew was that your life, that Pepper's life, that Bruce's life, meant enough that he had to put himself in danger. And you, who was probably one of the last people he thought of, can't even remember his damn name."

She was breathing heavily now, tears still falling down her checks. Both Bruce and Tony were staring at her small form, shocked. Rosa looked at Tony's, waiting for the surprise to fade into regret, into something a little more apologetic. But when his feature's smoothed out, his face was absolutely blank.

"I actually never knew his name to begin with."

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**Please Review! Next chapter has SO MUCH Bruce, it's almost ridiculous. **


	6. Breathe

_A/N: Hey everyone. It's super late, but here's the next chapter. The wait time will get shorter between chapters, I promise. Please, enjoy. Review, if you can. I accept flames. If you feel my story is horrid, feel free to say so and give me ways to fix it. Hell, if you love it give me ways to fix it. Please? Also, this one goes out to my boyfriend, who I finally let read this. Woot._

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**Chapter 5**

**Breathe**

Rosa's breaths came out in huffs as she stormed down the hallway, the rushing of blood behind her ears muting Bruce Banner's shouts for her to stop. She vaguely sensed his presence behind her, but her finger was already pressing the "door close" button in the elevator with as much force as she could muster. As the doors glided shut, she caught a glimpse of Bruce hurrying out of the lab with a hand outstretched, eyebrows furrowed in worry and her name on his lips.

She smashed the button once more without a second glance at his face, grateful for the newfound silence that the sealed metal doors provided her. For a moment Rosa stood cradling her right hand in her left, gently massaging the pink swollen knuckles that stung painfully. Under the ache she could remember the faint tingling sensation of her fist colliding with Tony Stark's bearded jaw. Adrenaline flowed through her veins as she tried to calm her breathing, gently pressing the lobby button, eager to leave. Though Rosa's apartment was horrible and made her shutter in disgust on any other day, the broken shower and uncomfortable bed seemed more than inviting after a night like this.

Just as the elevator began its decent it lurched to a halt, the white fluorescents turning an ominous red that made Rosa's stomach turn. Before he even spoke, Rosa knew who would be the next to stop her.

"Ms. Hernandez," JARVIS began quietly, his automated voice sounding cold in the metal container. Rosa crossed her arms across her chest and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes.

"You have to go back," he commanded. "Master Stark wishes you to stay in the Tower. It is unsafe and unwise for you to venture into the city."

Rosa pursed her lips, biting back the angry retort she wanted so badly to unleash. But she knew JARVIS, and she knew he didn't respond well to silence.

"Please," he pressed. "You will be safer here." There was compassion in his voice of the likes she had never heard before.

But Rosa kept her lips sealed. If JARVIS planned to force her back, he would've lifted the elevator back to the 3rd for and forced the doors open. By asking her, he was giving her a choice.

For a moment neither of them said anything. Rosa heard an electronic sigh before the red light flickered back to white and the elevator began its decent once more. After a second, she opened her mouth to whisper a sweet "thank you", but the ding of arrival alerted Rosa that she was on the lobby floor.

The metal doors opened to reveal a room lit with activity. Men and women hurried around the room, some taking pictures, some with notebooks in their hands, all dead serious. Most wore government issued black suits that made Rosa tremble. The few that wore NYPD uniforms were being shoved out the door with a flurry of pristine government badges. All of them completely forgot about their activities and turned to stare at her as she stepped out of the elevator. Before she could take another step, two men were on her, grabbing her arms and half-dragging her to the side.

"Hey!" she shouted in defiance. "Get your hands _off_ of me. You have _no_ right to-"

A badge was being shoved in and out of her face quickly. She barely caught the edge of the logo, but she was sure. These men were from SHIELD. Before she could open her mouth to speak again, one man flipped open his cell phone to bark orders at someone on the other end. The few words she caught sent a chill through her.

They were taking her in.

Rosa tried to pull away from the suited men but their hands tightened and pulled her toward the exit. Images of Phil Coulson advancing toward her filled her mind, followed by the feeling of his cold fingers tightly wound in her hair, pulling, dragging, just like these men were. The smell of their suits was the same. The pain in her head flared up again. She tried to pull away but they were just too strong. Coulson was just too strong. His crimson eyes winked at her as she tried to pull away. She opened her mouth to shout because she didn't want to die, not like the nameless deskman, not like that, no, please-

The pressure on her arms suddenly disappeared and Rosa's panicking mind was thrust back into reality. Blinking her watery eyes, she noticed the cool lobby around her filled with many people, none of them resembling Phil Coulson. As the blood rushed back to her sore shoulders, Rosa turned her attention to the warm voice to her left.

Bruce Banner reached out to her hesitantly, palms up in a peaceful, testing manner. Rosa looked at his hand, then back at the two men who were now behind Banner with disgruntled looks on their faces. She could feel herself trembling as air whooshed in and out of her mouth quickly and loudly.

"Take deep breathes," she realized he was saying. "There you go. Slow, deep breaths. You're having a panic attack. Good, good. Breathe." His hands were now touching her shoulders. "Why don't we take you back upstairs? Is that okay?" His voice was soothing and calm, like honey to her ears.

"No," Rosa whimpered. She was tired of the cold walls of Stark Tower. She wanted to go_ home_. Not to her ratty apartment but home in Mexico, where her family was, where it was always warm and safe. "I just want to go _home_," she managed to choke out.

Bruce took a moment to consider, his brown eyes still soft. After a second he nodded and turned to the men behind him.

"I'm taking her home. After everything that's happened tonight, she deserves it. Tell Fury I can bring her in tomorrow, after she's had some time to rest." The men looked angry, but nodded in compliance, hurrying off to deal with some other SHIELD business. Bruce turned back to her and gently grabbed her shoulders again, guiding her to the large doors to exit Stark Tower.

Outside, New York nightlife went on unaffected by the tragedy of the evening. The sharp, cool breeze cleared Rosa's mind quite a bit and she felt as if she were returning to her normal, albeit exhausted, self.

An impressive silver car pulled up in front of them, driven by a very flustered looking Pepper Potts. As Pepper stepped out of the car she adjusted her baggie hoodie and gym shorts, creating an image Rosa gaped at in disbelief. She'd only ever seen Ms. Potts in her fashionably tailored skirts with every hair in its proper place and flawless make up. Somehow, seeing Pepper in sleeping clothes with bed head warmed Rosa's heart.

That is, until she heard Pepper spoke, her voice sounding a thousand times more exhausted then Rosa felt. Then, her heart just broke.

"Here you go, Bruce. Take care of her." Pepper placed the keys in Bruce's hand. She turned her attention on Rosa with sympathetic eyes. "I'm sorry for what's happened tonight. A couple of agents filled me in. I can't even imagine what you've been through. I expect they want to bring you in but…"

Rosa nodded. Nothing more needed to be said.

"Then go home, take some time," she declared. Before Rosa could say anything she nodded at Bruce and walked inside, confidence and authority in every step, despite her appearance. Rosa looked at Bruce expectantly before glancing at the car and putting on a weak, tired smile.

The silence that lay over the two of them put Rosa's nerves at ease. She found Bruce's presence to be soothing, as if his calm demeanor spread to her in the confined space of the tiny car.

After giving Bruce the address to her apartment they had sped off into the night. Traffic was heavy and the drive to her apartment was long. Often, taxies would cut across lanes and dart in front of the expensive, borrowed car, causing Banner to slam on the brakes. Rosa tried to keep her gaze averted, but every time they jerked to a halt her eyes unconsciously shot over to examine him for any signs of rage. After a while he took notice, catching her glance with his own before pressing his lips together and looking away.

"I'm not going to explode because of some traffic, you know," he noted gently yet sarcastically, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. Rosa felt heat rise behind her tanned cheeks. For a moment, a response was lost to her. Instead of giving an answer, she chose to ask a question that surprised them both.

"Does it hurt?" she questioned in almost a whisper, her voice still too loud as it filled the silence they had both become used to.

Bruce looked at her in surprise, his eyebrows even higher than before. For a moment he contemplated, chewing on the edge of his lip, tapping the steering wheel with his thumbs.

"No one's ever asked me that before," he murmured thoughtfully. Though he didn't answer her question, his response surprised Rosa. In this tiny revelation, she learned something huge about Bruce. He may not have said it aloud, but Rosa could hear the hidden inflection that no one had _cared_ to ask him this question before.

"It feels like I'm being ripped in two," Banner confessed, hands tightening on the steering wheel. "When I fight him, the other guy does everything in his power to break out. And he always does, he's so much stronger than me. But while it's happening… It's the worse pain I've ever felt."

Rosa started at Bruce Banner for a long moment, her lips parted in surprise. She watched as his eyes tightened and his lips pursed. The light from outside the car played against his features, casting shadows on his cheeks and reflecting off of his pain filled eyes.

"What about when you don't fight it?" Rosa asked, carefully watching his face for a sign that she'd gone too far. The look in his eyes changed from hurt to something she couldn't quite identify as he thought about her question.

"I rarely _choose_ to let the other guy out. He causes too much destruction. But… I guess when the aliens attacked… It felt…" she could see he was trying to decide what to say. After a moment he looked at her out of the corner of his eye, a weak smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

"It felt like a weight was being pulled off of my chest. It felt like I was free, like for the first time in my life, I could truly breathe."

Something stirred inside of Rosa's mind and for a moment she found herself lost in the expression on Banner's face, the expression she could now identify as guilt. Her mouth opened to say something, anything, but he interrupted her as his eyebrows furrowed and he glanced out of the window.

She pulled her eyes away from Banner to find that they had arrived at her apartment complex. Outside of the entrance, girls in tiny skirts eyed the car greedily, their long nailed fingers beckoning, inviting. Other happy neighbors noticed their arrival, drawn to the expensive car with unlawful looks on their faces. Rosa was no stranger to prostitutes, thieves, drug dealers, or thugs. But deep embarrassment flashed through her as she watched pity slowly etch into Bruce's features.

"This is where you live?" he asked in a tone she couldn't quite place. She wanted to get angry, to lash out at his judgmental stare, but at this point in the night Rosa was just too exhausted.

"Goodbye Dr. Banner." Rosa said dismissively as she reached for the door handle.

His hand reached out and she paused, torn between wanting to storm away and wanting to stay in the safety of the car and his presence. "Wait," he said.

He wrung his hands for a moment and just as Rosa's patience began to wear thin he spoke.

"I have an apartment uptown if you'd like to stay the night there," he suggested in an airy nervous voice. Rosa raised her eyebrow at his suggestion, causing him to stammer the rest of his words out. "I-I hardly ever stay there. Tony gave me a room at Stark Tower so… I-I just want to make sure you feel safe."

After months of having contact only with JARVIS, the concern of another non-mechanical person came as a surprise. It was an odd but gratifying feeling. Bruce Banner had shown nothing but concern for her well-being and proved to be a great deal different then how she imagined.

Rosa relaxed against the soft leather seats, tilting her head back and gently shutting her eyes. "Safe sounds great," she sighed. With a gentle purr, the car sped off into the night leaving another comfortable silence between her and Banner.

Angry images of vivid color flashed behind Rosa's pressed eyelids as she lingered in the thin stage of consciousness between being awake and asleep. She could hear Bruce breathing softly next to her and she wondered idly if the Hulk breathed through his mouth, a flash of green dancing across her mental vision. Curiosity spawned questions in her mind faster than she had the ability to process. Where did the Hulk's mass come from and where did it disappear to after a transformation? How much separation existed between Bruce's consciousness and "the other guy's"? How advanced was Hulk's intelligence and knowledge base? Could he truly recognize friend from foe? Why does Bruce feel so much pain resisting a transformation? Why does Bruce appear to feel so much pain all the time?

Just as quickly as the questions appeared, so they disappeared, lost in Rosa's exhaustion riddled mind, put aside for another time. When the car finally came to a halt and Banner's hand gently nudged her shoulder, she had a hard time opening her eyes.

When Rosa got an eyeful of Banner's apartment complex, her eyes had no trouble staying open. The white building towered high into the sky, looking polished and pristine. Bruce handed the keys to a young, formally dressed valet before beckoning for her to follow. Rosa noticed the unease in which Bruce moved, not quite comfortable in his own body.

She almost rolled her eyes when Banner pressed the penthouse button in the elevator. Rosa could barely afford the hole she lived in and this man had an extra home on this scale that he hardly ever slept in.

He seemed to notice her distaste, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking slightly ashamed.

"Tony insisted I have a place to call home, away from the lab," he explained with his face turned away from her. "I know it's a waste, but I can't live in a place this… you know. He means well, but this isn't a home for someone like me." He shrugged and walked away as the elevator doors slid open.

They both stepped into the cold, dark room awkwardly. Rosa could see from the massive windows that the space was huge, but the corners of the room sat in darkness. Bruce fiddled with his hands before gesturing to a grand wooden door.

"The bedroom is just through there. I've never slept in it, if you can believe that," he admitted, flopping down on a white plush couch. Moonlight cut through the room and lit his face, revealing a tired smile that warmed Rosa's heart.

"Thank you," Rosa whispered softly, turning to the door and gently opening it. Before she slipped into the bedroom she got a last glimpse of Bruce laying out on the couch, hands tucked behind his head with eyes glued to the ceiling, lost in thought. With a smile, Rosa swung the door almost shut, leaving a small crack for the moonlight to leak through.

It took her almost no time to shuffle around and find the bed, falling into its elegant folds and drifting into a deep, numbing sleep.

Sometime just before dawn Rosa was pulled back into consciousness, bobbing in a half asleep state like a swimmer trying to stay above waves in the ocean. Bleary eyes scanned the dark bedroom with only the light from the half open door to help. A shadow suddenly walked across the light, striding in a familiar manner that made little bells go off in Rosa's head. She wanted to get up, but her exhausted body refused to respond. Uneasiness crept into her thoughts and she tried harder to rise, to follow the oddly moving shadow that retreated from the door. A cough interrupted her thoughts, a husky cough she identified as Bruce Banner's. A gentle sigh of relief escaped Rosa's lips as she relaxed back into the luxurious pillows, allowing sleep to consume her once more.

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**_Please review?!_**


	7. Different

_Okay, what excuses can I make up now? There are none. I'm so sorry this took so long. I'm posting this the second I finished it. Thank you to everyone sticking by me through this._

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**Chapter 6**

**Different**

Sunlight streamed through crystal windows, lighting the penthouse suite of a very prestigious apartment complex in Upper Manhattan. Looking in through the large bay windows, a man could be seen curled up on a white couch, snoring lightly. His head lay on one bent, tanned arm, tussling his curly brown hair into an even more disheveled state. Prescription glasses hung precariously from the man's nose, forgotten when he finally drifted off to sleep. He appeared peaceful and relaxed and incredibly soft.

Rosa Hernandez noticed all of this in the few moments she observed Dr. Bruce Banner dozing on his couch. She tried so hard not to stare, but the picture was extremely heartwarming to watch. Hesitation made her tiptoe out of the elegant bedroom moments ago, a heavy anxiety putting her nerves on edge, but the gentle dawn light on the peaceful scene before her made her sigh in relief.

A gurgle sounded out through the room and Rosa's hands flew to her growling stomach. The memory of her last meal seemed hazy in her mind and the rumbling persisted under her palms.

With one last glance at the sleeping doctor, Rosa padded over to the gleaming kitchen, eyeing the stainless steel kitchenware with excitement. Just a slice of toast, she thought as she quietly opened a few cabinets, searching for food. It was odd, being in such a large unused apartment with sparkling counters that had never even seen a scrap of food. She could tell that the granite never had food prepared on it. Perhaps it was because of how she was raised or because she considered herself a bit of a chef, but Rosa was disheartened by the lonely state of the appliances.

Impulsiveness took hold of her and she quickly opened the refrigerator, pleasantly surprised to find it completely stocked with groceries. Hands found what they were looking for as she pulled ingredients off of the cold shelves and onto the counters. Bruce's snores could still be heard from the other room, encouraging her to continue.  
She found pans and bowels easily, firing up the beautiful island top stove and melting a chunk of butter.

Rosa wasn't sure when she forgot about trying to be quiet and got lost in cooking her abuela's recipe for French toast, humming the tejano music she remembered from the radio in her grandmother's kitchen. She had a pan of bacon searing and a plate of scrambled eggs already cooling. The memories of the night before, though unable to be forgotten in her mind, dulled against the smells of breakfast wafting through the apartment.

"Smells amazing," a bemused voice commented, making Rosa jump and almost drop the pan of toast. She spun around to find Bruce looking around his kitchen, arms crosses loosely and a smile playing at his lips. Curls flew in all directions on his head and the deep purple shirt he fell asleep in was crooked and wrinkled.

"I-I am so sorry," Rosa stammered out, flustered. "I didn't even ask, I don't know what I was thinking."

Banner held up a hand and let out a short breath, almost like an airy laugh. "By all means, continue. Someone should put this kitchen to use. And, honestly, I haven't had a breakfast like this in years."

She stood there for a moment, contemplating, still hesitant. Bruce briefly raised his eyebrows and waved his hands, urging her to continue.

With newfound excitement, Rosa found plates and loaded up as much food as she could for the two of them, following Bruce as he beckoned her to the dining area. He had made a pot of coffee while she finished cooking and set down two mugs at a beautiful glass table next to their food.

It was silent as they both stood awkwardly, their hands no longer busy to excuse the silence between them.

"I know I've said it a lot, but I really do appreciate everything you've done for me," by now Rosa was looking at the stray thread hanging from the seam of her shirt. There was no response from the other side of the table and when Rosa looked up, her heart leapt a bit at the sight.

Bruce Banner sat at the table, looking at the plate before him with eager eyes, an actual smile on his face. He looked up at her with expectant, teasing eyes and she couldn't help but smile. The Bruce in front of her was different from the one she saw last night. He was bemusing and energetic and strangely quirky.

Rosa sat without another word and they both dug in.

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"I have to take you to see Fury," Bruce commented apologetically as he dried his hands from washing the few dishes they used. Rosa placed the last plate into the cabinet and closed the door, laying her forehead against the cool wood.

"_Have_ to?" She grumbled, unconcerned about the whine in her voice.

"Have to," Banner said regretfully. She looked up at him as he pulled the sleeves of his deep purple shirt down over his arms, pleading with her eyes. She received only raised eyebrows and a bemused look, so with a sigh, Rosa nodded and they prepared to leave.

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Wheat sparkled in the brilliant sunlight as they sped down a country road out of the city, pushing Tony's car to the limit. Rosa watched the doctor with raised eyebrows as he pressed on the gas, giving the car a burst of speed. She never imagined he would like the adrenaline associated with high speeds but the tilt in his lips told her otherwise.

Everything about his demeanor was so cheerful; she had to wonder if this was the same man from the night before. But maybe the warmth of the day and a good night's rest refreshed him as well.

Metal rose out of the land as SHIELD headquarters came into view, the towering building reflecting light and making Rosa squint.

"I'm nervous," she mumbled anxiously, glancing at Bruce. He slowed the car as they approached, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"It'll be okay."

Somehow, she believed him.

As Rosa and the doctor stepped into the cool metal building, Rosa became very aware of her appearance. Bruce had given her a new toothbrush, but she was still wearing the same clothes from the night before. Everyone around bustled about in suits and skirts. Like always, she was out of place.

Rosa looked to Banner for a sign of comfort and was concerned to see that the smile that pulled at the corners of his lips had now fallen into a worried frown. The rushing bodies around them seemed to put him on edge, his spine straight and stiff.

"Are you alright, doctor?" His hands twisted around each other in anxious habit and Rosa found his nerves to be just as infectious as his smile, sweat starting to bead on the back of her neck.

"Yeah, yeah. It's just never good to have someone like me in a place like this," he muttered.

It was gone. Whatever cheerfulness Banner had when they were alone, dissipated in this new environment. As metal walls rose around them so did the walls Bruce put up when he felt he could be a danger to anyone. His now narrowed eyes and worried forehead made her heart ache for him a bit.

Before she could respond a woman in a tight blue suit with an emblazoned SHIELD symbol approached the two of them. She nodded at Bruce, adding only a curt "doctor" before barking out an order for them to follow.

Rosa recognized her of course. Agent Maria Hill, right hand man, or rather woman, to the infamous director Fury. Countless nights combing through SHIELD files led to this particular woman's profile and the information Rosa absorbed astounded her. She was perhaps one of the most powerful women Rosa had ever met.

They were led down various hallways until Rosa completely lost her bearings. The doctor at her side seemed to cave in on himself the farther they were marched into the labyrinth of metal doors and suited personal. Moments passed before they finally arrived at a pair of large double doors.

Agent Hill pushed them open to reveal a large conference room with a huge screen dominating the entirety of one wall. One the screen was a blown up still image of the faux Phil Coulson, red eyes staring straight at her and making her pulse accelerate. At the foot of the table stood a tall, dark, imposing figure that also started at the screen. Rosa couldn't see his face but she knew he was Nick Fury, spy extraordinaire and protector of Earth. Coulson continued to stare down at them with cold interest, until Fury raised a remote and blacked out the screen.

He turned to them and fixated a single eye on Rosa, who tried her hardest to remain calm.

"It's about damn time," he commented, turning to address Bruce who had his hands in his pockets and a weary look upon his face. No one had a chance to respond before the screen flickered back to life, this time displaying footage of a running camera man through a landscape of metal.

The footage was mute until Tony Stark's voice emitted from the speakers.

"Hey there Fury, I think you might want to see what's going on here."

A tiny speck of red and gold flitted in the corner screen and the camera followed, tailing Iron Man as he rocketed into what appeared to be a military base surrounded by high dunes of sand. Blinding flashes of white and orange lit up her vision as explosives were set off and areas of the base caught fire.

"Stark!" Fury barked. "What the hell is going on? Where are you?!"

As more explosions rocked the landscape, the news cameraman they were following turned and ran, obscuring their vision. The image flickered a bit and was replaced a perspective Rosa recognized as Iron Man's mask camera.

Her hands flew to her mouth and her eyes fell to the floor as Iron Man sailed over the battleground, revealing the piles of bodies that littered the ground. The number of dead bodies she's seen in her life grew exponentially over the past day and she couldn't take much more.

"What the hell is that," Bruce's voice called out from beside her, gruff and frustrated. Rosa pulled her head back up hesitantly to find that Iron Man stood still, looking up at a pile of debris and the large green body that stood atop it.

There, looking down on him with cold red eyes, was a hulk. Muscles rippled as it stepped forward and let out a giant roar that sent shudders down her spine. This hulk didn't look like the one Bruce Banner turned into. Though strong and green like the original, it had a grotesquely disfigured face and a very animalistic nature about him. She could see that this beast was completely uncontrollable.

Her eyes slid over to find Dr. Banner looking at her, his face grave and searching. His mouth was turned down fiercely and his knuckles were white by his sides as he clenched his fists. Rosa wanted to speak but her mouth couldn't really find words. After all, what could she say to possibly…

"Hey there, Mr. Stark. Long time no see."

Rosa's head shot back up to the screen, the familiar serpentine voice making the blood rush from her face. For as long as she lived she could never forget the unnerving tone of a stone cold killer.

Phil Coulson stepped out from behind the green giant on the screen, arms crossed casually with a sly grin on his face. As she watched him walk forward to the frozen, silent Iron Man, alarm bells went off in her mind, like she was trying to remember a thought long forgotten yet still there on the edge of her tongue. But fear clouded any logical thought and no matter how hard she tried, Rosa could feel the panic rising to choke her.

Iron Man finally took hold of himself. "You aren't Coulson," he said as coldly as possible, but Rosa could still hear the stumble over Coulson's name. Apparently so did the imposter, whose smug smile spread from ear to ear.

"Why of course I am, little boy," he said mockingly, "Can't you see?" That nagging feeling returned to her but she still couldn't understand what she was looking for, what her vast mind was trying to tell her.

Fury was silent for the conversation, his one eye watching intently, like the mystery was already unraveling before him. He showed no emotional reaction to his best, and sadly deceased, employee. Simply cold calculation. When he finally spoke, his voice was devoid of anything besides a timbre of unquestionable command.

"Stark, bring that thing back to me. Dead or alive."

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_Please review!_


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